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This is VOA News. I'm Joe Ramsey.
Israelis are ramping up pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Israel's military recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in Gaza over the weekend, and U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday Netanyahu isn't doing enough. Reuters correspondent Angela Johnston reports. Netanyahu appeared to push back when asked about Biden's comments. "The pressure internationally must be directed at these killers, at Hamas, not at Israel." A senior Hamas official said Biden's criticism was, quote, "American recognition that Netanyahu was responsible for undermining efforts to reach a deal." "We're asked to make concessions? What message does this send Hamas? It says, kill more hostages, murder more hostages, you'll get more concessions." Months of stop-start negotiations mediated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt have so far failed to reach an accord on a proposal laid out by Biden in May. Reuters correspondent Angela Johnston. Protesters in Tel Aviv stayed late into the night on Monday, demanding an immediate hostage deal in a huge demonstration that grew louder on Sunday after the six Israeli hostages were found dead in a Gaza tunnel. It comes as the largest trade union launched a 24-hour general strike to press the government to reach a deal, and protesters who earlier attempted to disrupt Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's news conference set fire to wooden pallets, holding banners and playing drums. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said on Monday Mongolia's failure to arrest visiting Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, wanted on (an) international warrant, dealt a severe blow to the international criminal law system. Putin arrived in Mongolia on Monday for talks likely to focus on a new gas pipeline connecting Russia and China. This is VOA News. Venezuelan authorities are seeking an arrest warrant for opposition former presidential candidate Edmundo González. The request announced on Monday comes just over a month after election officials declared President Nicolás Maduro the winner of a disputed election that his opponents say he lost. The prosecutor seeking the warrant cites various charges against González, a former diplomat, including conspiracy, falsifying documents and [usurps...] usurpation of powers. The request comes after González failed to appear three times to answer questions from prosecutors in a criminal investigation stemming from the disputed election results. The U.S. government announced on Monday it seized a pricey plane used by Venezuela's president. AP correspondent Jackie Quinn reports. The Justice Department alleges this luxury jet, a Dassault Falcon 900EX, was illegally purchased last year from a Florida firm, using a shell company based in the Caribbean. That was to hide Venezuela's involvement in the purchase. There is an executive order that bars U.S. individuals from doing business with the regime of Nicolás Maduro. The plane is valued at $13 million. It was just seized in the Dominican Republic. U.S. officials took custody of the aircraft there, which has now been flown to a small airport in Fort Lauderdale. I'm Jackie Quinn. Ten people went on trial on Monday for treason in Nigeria in connection with anti-government protests that erupted last month over the high cost of living. The defendants could face the death penalty if convicted. Timothy Obiezu reports from Abuja. The protesters have pleaded not guilty to the charges. In early August, thousands of protesters in Nigeria took to the streets to denounce President Bola Tinubu's economic policies and government. Bola Tinubu scrapped expensive fuel subsidy payments last year upon assuming office and soon afterward floated the national currency, the naira. Authorities accused protesters of inciting public unrest and burning government buildings but pledged to address the economic hardship. The case has drawn the ire of human rights group Amnesty International. Timothy Obiezu, VOA News, Abuja, Nigeria. The far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD party's success in two state elections, has piled new pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz's fractious government. AfD became the first far-right party to win a state election in post-World War II Germany on Sunday. In a neighboring state, it finished only just behind the mainstream conservative Christian Democratic Union, which leads the national opposition. I'm Joe Ramsey, VOA ... |